Man dies in jail after feeding medicine to woman, 4, who was born a heroin addict
John Rytting was jailed for child cruelty at Hull Crown Court in 2017 in connection with the death of four-year-old Poppy Widdison, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest in 2013
Little Poppy Widdison who was fed drugs including heroin before her tragic death
John Rytting has passed away at HMP Hull at the age of 49, according to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. Rytting was imprisoned for child cruelty charges at Hull Crown Court in 2017 over the death of four-year-old Poppy Widdison.
“Vivacious” Poppy from Grimsby died after suffering a cardiac arrest in 2013. Although the cause of death was inconclusive, tests revealed Poppy had been ingesting drugs – including diazepam, heroin, methadone and ketamine – for up to six months before her death.
Rytting was in a relationship with Poppy’s mother, Michala Pyke, at the time of the little girl’s death. “Unfit mother” Pyke was also jailed for 13 years after the court heard she had been feeding her daughter an array of drugs.
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told Pyke and Rytting they both “bear a huge responsibility for the death of a pretty and vivacious little girl”. When the sentence was handed down, Rytting replied: “Whatever.”
Poppy died at Rytting’s “squalid” Grimsby home, where prescription and illegal drugs were left “lying around”. He had been in a relationship with Pyke for about nine months, reports Grimsby Live.
Addressing his drug-dealing, Judge Richardson told him: “You were not running a corner shop but a large convenience store for drug addicts. You had a leading role.”
The pair considered Poppy to be an “inconvenience” to their relationship, the court heard. They were said to have fed her sedatives, which they referred to as “blue Smarties”.
Speaking to Poppy’s mother, the judge stated: “Poppy was born addicted to heroin. Her name is the plant from which heroin is derived.
“I don’t think this is any accident and reveals your (Pyke) deplorable attitude towards an innocent infant.”
Rytting passed away on April 22 this year. As per usual protocol for all deaths in custody, the Ombudsman will now carry out an investigation.
It comes after a Coventry killer was discovered dead in his cell by a fellow prisoner after a prison officer opened the door without checking on him, an investigation has revealed.
Patryk Skupinski was serving a life sentence at HMP Gartree following his conviction for murdering Marlene Doyle. Ms Doyle, 32, was discovered with severe head injuries at the flat she shared with Skupinski on Shakespeare Street. Family members raised the alarm when they couldn’t contact her and discovered she had been dead for up to five days.
Jurors found 38-year-old Skupinski guilty of murder and he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years in October 2023. He was discovered dead, lying face down in a pool of vomit, by another prisoner on January 29, 2025.
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